A Seattle man has been found guilty of producing child sexual abuse imagery as part of a scheme to obtain such images from a coconspirator in Vietnam, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Richard Stanley Manness Jr., 38, was convicted on two federal felony counts after a three-day jury trial. The jury deliberated for about three hours before reaching its verdict. Manness faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for November 14, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones.
Court records indicate that law enforcement officials in Vietnam rescued two young girls who had been kidnapped in April 2024. Their mother reported them missing when she could not locate them. The children were taken to an Airbnb by Manness’s female coconspirator; records show Manness rented the apartment where the children were held. Communications between Manness and his coconspirator revealed that he directed the sexual abuse of one of the children, who was as young as six years old. The coconspirator sent images documenting the abuse to Manness over the internet.
Authorities also discovered that Manness had plans to travel to Vietnam for further acts of child sexual abuse. He was arrested at a Seattle apartment after Vietnamese detectives contacted Homeland Security Investigations with information regarding the kidnapping and abuse case. Since his arrest on August 28, 2024, Manness has remained in federal custody.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.
Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Hampton and Cecelia Gregson prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
